Bringin' it Backwards

Interview with David Cook

Episode Summary

We had the pleasure of interviewing David Cook over Zoom video!  David Cook (and yes, he is the winner of American Idol’s Seventh Season) certainly knows his way around a good song. His first album, Analog Heart, came out pre-Idol, and his last album, Digital Vein, nicely book-ended that chapter of Cook’s career. With Chromance (2018), he started fresh. “I was a ‘rock’ guy, but the further away I’ve gotten from that, the more I’ve opened up and found inspiration in the peripherals. I wouldn’t have had the courage earlier in my career, but now I have the confidence to go after the sound I want.” A fan of both Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails, Cook always admired how they pushed the envelope and brought pop elements in to rock music. “I used them as a bedrock for this EP and how I wanted the record to feel.”   If putting out his 2018 EP wasn’t enough to keep Cook busy, that same year he headed to the Great White Way for his Broadway debut in “Kinky Boots” as Charlie Price. “I’ve had conversations about finding creative outlets outside of being a musician, but the timing was never right.” While Cook is excited for his first starring role, he’s also aware of how timely and relevant the message behind KINKY BOOTS is right now. “I am honored I am going to be part of this show and get to work with so many amazing people. I love the collaborative aspect of theatre too, the idea of being part of a creative team and working it out in front of an audience each night.” Another passion of Cook’s is his work with ABC2, a Washington DC-based nonprofit that drives cutting edge research and treatments for brain cancer and brain tumors. “I’ve been very involved with the charity ABC2 and am very grateful that my career has allowed me to do that. I lost my brother Adam to a brain tumor in 2009; every year I am part of the Race for Hope-DC and my fans alone have raised over 1 million dollars for this charity. Far and away, that is the proudest of all my achievements.” Being good for music is something David Cook has strived for ever since he left college to make performing his full-time career. He is well aware, and grateful, for the breaks American Idol has brought his way, and for the opportunities, he continues to have. He has no plans to slow it down. “I love creative endeavors. I like starting with nothing and then finishing with something that didn’t exist before. That’s my favorite thing about creating new music. I love being able to put something artistic out in the world for people to enjoy.” We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod  #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork ​​Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! 

Episode Notes

We had the pleasure of interviewing David Cook over Zoom video! 

David Cook (and yes, he is the winner of American Idol’s Seventh Season) certainly knows his way around a good song. His first album, Analog Heart, came out pre-Idol, and his last album, Digital Vein, nicely book-ended that chapter of Cook’s career.

With Chromance (2018), he started fresh. “I was a ‘rock’ guy, but the further away I’ve gotten from that, the more I’ve opened up and found inspiration in the peripherals. I wouldn’t have had the courage earlier in my career, but now I have the confidence to go after the sound I want.”

A fan of both Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails, Cook always admired how they pushed the envelope and brought pop elements into rock music. “I used them as a bedrock for this EP and how I wanted the record to feel.”  

If putting out his 2018 EP wasn’t enough to keep Cook busy, that same year he headed to the Great White Way for his Broadway debut in “Kinky Boots” as Charlie Price. “I’ve had conversations about finding creative outlets outside of being a musician, but the timing was never right.” While Cook is excited for his first starring role, he’s also aware of how timely and relevant the message behind KINKY BOOTS is right now. “I am honored I am going to be part of this show and get to work with so many amazing people. I love the collaborative aspect of theatre too, the idea of being part of a creative team and working it out in front of an audience each night.”

Another passion of Cook’s is his work with ABC2, a Washington DC-based nonprofit that drives cutting edge research and treatments for brain cancer and brain tumors. “I’ve been very involved with the charity ABC2 and am very grateful that my career has allowed me to do that. I lost my brother Adam to a brain tumor in 2009; every year I am part of the Race for Hope-DC and my fans alone have raised over 1 million dollars for this charity. Far and away, that is the proudest of all my achievements.”

Being good for music is something David Cook has strived for ever since he left college to make performing his full-time career. He is well aware, and grateful, for the breaks American Idol has brought his way, and for the opportunities, he continues to have. He has no plans to slow it down. “I love creative endeavors. I like starting with nothing and then finishing with something that didn’t exist before. That’s my favorite thing about creating new music. I love being able to put something artistic out in the world for people to enjoy.”

We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com.

www.BringinitBackwards.com

#podcast #interview #bringinbackpod  #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork

​​Listen & Subscribe to BiB

Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter

Episode Transcription

0 (0s):

Interested in getting your songs in front of ANR.

 

1 (3s):

Make sure to check out American songwriters, 35th anniversary song contest, where you can enter your songs to win some incredible prizes, including $10,000 and a chance to get your songs in front of industry professionals.

 

0 (15s):

To enter the contest, go to American songwriter.com/song-contest.

 

1 (22s):

Use coupon code a S P N 2020. To get 20% off your song entries today,

 

0 (30s):

together with American songwriter. We had the opportunity to talk to David Cook.

 

1 (1m 2s):

Adam was able to talk to David over zoom video. David told us all about his journey in the music industry from his second grade music teacher, giving him a part in the school's Christmas performance to playing in high school bands to winning the seventh season of American idol. David just released his single Red's turn blue. This is the first new music David has released since 2018 EAP CRO Mance. The same year. He made his Broadway debut in k***y boots. As Charlie price,

 

0 (1m 28s):

You can watch the interview on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it backwards and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at bringing back pod.

 

1 (1m 38s):

We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcasts, wherever you listen to podcasts,

 

0 (1m 45s):

We're bringing it backwards with David Cook. How are you? I'm good yourself. I'm very good. Thank you so much for doing this. Of course. Likewise. Cool. So our podcast is all about your journey in the music industry and how you got to where you are now. Fun, light. Cool. So first of all, I did read that you were born in, in Houston. Were you raised there as well? No. So I lived, I lived in Houston for maybe a year and a half. And then yeah, we moved to the Kansas city, Missouri area. Cool. So you raised there? Yeah. Cool. Tell me about growing up in Kansas city.

 

0 (2m 30s):

Pretty normal. I, you know, it was this a general generic, like suburban upbringing. I lived, lived in a town called blue Springs, about 30 minutes East of Kansas city. Okay. And yeah, blue Springs is just, I don't know, blue Springs was this cool little place growing up, like there was their venues close by or did you have to go into st there were,

 

2 (3m 0s):

Yeah. I mean, Kansas city had venues. Like I remember like when my band first started gigging out and we would like play these shows, like in the burbs, like, you know, go to independence and play a club there you'd go to like, to Lee summit and play a bar there. I remember like the first show we got in Kansas city, we were like, Oh my God, we've made it. We're playing Kansas city. Yeah. And it was a place called America's pub. Just the, it was like this, I mean, big venue, but like really ratty and probably needed a good bleach dip at that time.

 

2 (3m 40s):

But yeah, I dunno, like playing in Kansas city, like felt like, I dunno, it felt like you could climb some daunting mountain. Yeah. Looking back on it now. It was like, yeah, it wasn't. That was just another step, but cool. Sure, sure, sure. So how did you get into music originally? So my, my mom and my, my elementary school music teacher kind of both equally to blame for this. So there was a, they would do like an annual Christmas pageant for like second graders. And my mom busted me singing, getting ready for school one day, like the bathroom, like brushing my teeth or whatever.

 

2 (4m 25s):

I guess she then reached out to my music teacher, mrs. Gentry and let her know that like, Hey, he can carry a tune. I don't know if it's worth looking into or whatever. So my music teacher gave me a solo in the Christmas pageant. That was my first like public performance. Oh, wow. And then from there it was like, you know, talent shows and, and all that through elementary school. And it really wasn't until Late middle school, early high school, never like first band started to materialize and you go and play like birthday parties and stuff like that. Sure. What was the first, like you said you were singing. When did you get a guitar?

 

2 (5m 6s):

So my, I grew up watching my dad play guitar. My dad had this like beat up old acoustic that I found out years later, he actually like repaired, found it, the trash repaired it himself, himself. Oh, wow. He still has it. It's cool. Covered in Dustin needs, like new strings Beckley just kind of grew up watching him play. And then I want to say 11 or 12, he got me this, this fender Stratocaster and like a pig amp. And was just like, here you go. Good luck. And yeah, I've just, I never took lessons or anything like that.

 

2 (5m 47s):

So like, it took me a long, long time to like figure stuff out. Like I was, I was all power cords for a solid five or six years, but it was a, I don't know, I just kind of took to it. You know, I had started on violin before that and played violin for like three years and then gave that up. Cause like, you know, you get teased one too many times at the bus stop and it's like, okay, enough of that. And yes, switch to guitar and never really put it down.

 

0 (6m 15s):

Wow. Okay. And you said you were in bands in high school? Yeah. Okay.

 

2 (6m 21s):

Well, a buddy of mine was a, a drummer and so we started like a, a band, just the two of us. I remember our first cake was we played in his driveway on Halloween. We call it a gig, like we got paid, but, and then yeah, just like grabbed other friends and, and played like school talent shows. And, and that was the band that kinda started it all for me. And, and it really wasn't until I want to say college where that started to feel like more than a hobby where it felt like, cause I'd, I'd played baseball all through high school and was a pitcher and thought, okay, like, you know, I kind of want to go play ball in college and was looking at Indiana state and then I tore my shoulder up.

 

2 (7m 7s):

Oh, wow. Then I just kind of follows my other band mates to the university of central, Missouri. We kept the band thing going and, and school I'm sure my parents would love me saying this now, but school really just kinda became like, okay, I gotta do this so that I can do this other thing. Sure. And, and yeah. So like we would, like, I remember at one point I was going to class, I'd get out at like three o'clock and then we'd go drive and play a gig in Tulsa, Oklahoma that night drive back overnight and get back just in time for, you know, our morning classes and, Oh, wow. It was a such like, looking back on it now, like how dumb, but it was, so I had so much, like I look back on that time.

 

2 (7m 51s):

So finally it was such a good time and it's the kind of stuff like, I'm so glad that I did because the experience that I pulled from that still like kind of informs what I do now and informs my process now, so. Sure.

 

0 (8m 6s):

Wow. Okay. So you're, you're in a band and you go down to salsa play. And was that kind of like, did you guys, I mean, obviously you were pursuing it enough to where you want it to be your career. Like, were you, did you guys get a record deal or anything like that or is it kinda just, no,

 

2 (8m 22s):

We were, we were full like full indie, regional band. Like we would, we'd do Kansas city. Occasionally we'd get a gig in st. Louis. Occasionally we'd get a gig in Oklahoma. And so those were like our three, I live within that triangle and we occasionally duck out to like, like Southeastern Kansas and play like, you know, Hayes can, or not Hays Kansas, but Oh God. Now I'm drawing a blank on the town anyway.

 

0 (8m 52s):

Yeah. And that was kind of it. And,

 

2 (8m 56s):

And I think we'd always had, or at least I always had like this, this hope and this dream, like, okay. Like I think, I think we might be good enough to like advance. And I remember like the highlight for us was we got hooked up with movie tunes and they were doing this, this project with like, like indie bands. And so they brought us out to LA and we played a show there. And then like one of our songs got put in movie theaters across the country and Oh, wow. Yeah. So that was like, that was like, as close as we got to

 

0 (9m 33s):

Your song would be playing like when, when everyone's kind of filing in like prior to like the previous.

 

2 (9m 41s):

Yeah. Like, like right before the theater would tell you like, Hey, come buy our popcorn or whatever.

 

0 (9m 46s):

Sure. That's cool. That must've been pretty. Radek rad. It was a trip to happen for you guys

 

2 (9m 53s):

Trip. I went to the movie theater more that month than I think I've been,

 

0 (9m 59s):

I was going to say, did you guys like go as a band and Oh yeah, of course bring dates. You know, it was a that's my son. That's pretty good. Who is that? Oh, that's me. That's amazing. It didn't help all that much to me. Well, okay. I mean, that's pretty cool though. That's really cool. And then it will tell me, how did you get well, so tell me about the American idol thing. So that band was going like, were you, did you stop doing that? And like, how did that all happen?

 

2 (10m 34s):

I had, we were wrapping up college and that band kinda ran its course. And I had joined, we had traded some shows with this band out of Tulsa when I was in my first band. And so they would come up to Casey and play, we'd go down to Tulsa and play. And it just so happened that they were looking for another guitar player. So my last I'd say like half of my F like, like most I'll just say most, most of my last year of college was I was playing exclusively in his band out of Oklahoma while finishing school in Missouri. And so I did a lot of those like overnight drives back and forth after class.

 

2 (11m 17s):

And, and so after college moved down, there was with that band full time. It meantime, I had these songs that I'd written for the first band that just never materialized didn't fit a vibe, whatever. And so I released that like as a solo ride, it's just as a side fun thing to do borrowing money from friends to pay for the CD, pressing that kind of thing. And it, it, it, it, it, it grabbed the attention a little bit like locally, like I want like a local new, like a new artist award with like a, like an arts and entertainment magazine.

 

0 (11m 56s):

Oh, cool. Just in Tulsa area.

 

2 (12m 1s):

Well, these were like little affirmations, like, okay, I'm not like, God awful terrible. I'm bringing something to the table. And, but yeah, even with all that, like I kinda, I was bartending and playing shows with this band and doing my own stuff and felt like, okay, like, let me see where this takes me, but never really saw idol as an Avenue for me. Like, I think it was just, you know, my style of music up to that point, just hadn't really grabbed hold with idol. And so it just didn't seem like a viable lane. Sure. My little brother Andrew had wanted to audition for a few years. He's also a good singer.

 

2 (12m 40s):

And so the auditions came through Omaha, which was as close as they were getting to Kansas city that year. And he was like, this is the year I'm gonna do it. Do you want to come with? And I was like, yeah. I mean, I'm not gonna audition, but I'll come hang out, like free vacation Omaha. Cool. And so he, and, and my mom and I, we went up there and you to, to sign up, you have to like, get in line outside of the, or you had to, I don't know if you still do it this way, but you had to get in line outside of the arena where they were doing the auditions and, and go in and register. And I got talked into auditioning while I, while we were standing in line for him to register. Oh, okay.

 

2 (13m 21s):

So like picked a song that like, I played acoustic gigs with, like I did a Bon Jovi's living on a prayer and yeah. We both went into audition. We were in the same little audition group and I was the only one out of the group that made it immediately met with like this weird conflict. Sure. And

 

0 (13m 42s):

So you had to do you, you auditioned like through the whole thing, like you got to wait in the big line of people and go, wow. That's interesting. Cause you'll hear stories about people being like plucked and put like in front of the judges. And I know for the TV stuff I've heard

 

2 (13m 58s):

The same. I don't, I don't know to what degree any of them do it. I know I've had, I've had friends who have been approached by other shows. I'm sure. I can't, I can't confirm or deny whether idol does it.

 

0 (14m 12s):

Yeah. But you, but you actually didn't do it with me. Yeah. You, you, I stood in line and did the whole thing. Wow. Oh my gosh. So you make it through and then obviously you win, which is wow. That must've been a ride in itself obviously. Well, like tell me about like your stuff. Like, cause I feel like with American idol, like a lot of, a lot of it is like you're, you know, choosing the right song. Obviously everyone there can sing and then it's, it's proving that you can choose the right song and, and obviously stage presence. I've I've I would think has a lot to do with it too. Is it hard to pick songs or they kind of like give you a list, like choose between these, like how did you decide on what you want to play?

 

2 (14m 59s):

I kind of operated on a bit of a macro level with it. Not because I felt like, Oh, I'm for sure gonna win or make it to the final or whatever. But in the event that I do make it that far, I want to feel like I want the audience to feel like they saw me go somewhere. You know what I mean? Cause I like looking at it once, once I got into the machine and started really thinking about, I was like, okay, like how have people been successful on the show? And it always seemed like there was an arc, like no, nobody who'd won, came in fully polished and linear and, and just stayed at that level. Like there was always some lift somewhere.

 

2 (15m 40s):

So I felt like, okay, what do I want to put out there? What, what do I want this to feel like, what do I want this to look like? And so once I made that decision and started like treating it like a set list. So like, all right, I did a slow number here. So like I want to bring the temple up here and bring the audience back, you know, into some, some sort of energy. And then it just became, you know, working within the parameters of the themes each week and trying to figure out like, Hey, just listening through every song that was within those parameters and going okay, like, which is which one of these songs excite me. Like, which one of these ones do I want to perform? Cause I, I I'm, I'm terrible at poker, but like I feel, I always feel like if I go on stage and I'm playing the song and I don't believe it, like there's no chance anybody else is gonna believe it.

 

2 (16m 31s):

Sure. And that's evident in like the first couple of weeks of my time on the show we had sixties and seventies weekend. I was at that point, admittedly, not super into sixties and seventies music say for a few acts, you know, oddly enough, those acts were not, I asked that would clear for the show at that point. So first couple weeks were tough, man. I, I was convinced like, all right, this is gonna be pretty short run. Cool. Yeah. This'll be a fun thing to tell like my coworkers, one of these days, like, Oh yeah, it was on that show for a couple of weeks. Cause I just, I was not in pocket. I didn't feel comfortable. I had not yet.

 

2 (17m 12s):

I hadn't thought more than two feet in front of myself. So it was, you're going to TV studio performing to a small audience that at that point was all sitting behind you. I have nobody to play to. And I wasn't even thinking of the people on the other side of the camera. And it took one of the vocal coaches there, like it was eighties week and I decided to do hello by Lionel Richie and honest to God, it was a gag, like no disrespect to Lionel Richie or that song. Cause it's a great song, but I like, I'm going home. I'm going to go out doing something at least fun and like smile on me and my buddies face. Cause you thought for

 

0 (17m 50s):

Sure, you weren't going to make it pass that Oh dude bags were packed.

 

2 (17m 56s):

But I was like, all right, I'm just going to do this song like, and have fun with it. And I'm going through rehearsals and the vocal coach, one of the vocal coaches, Deborah Bird, she goes, listen, you know this song, but like, I'm gonna give you two pieces of advice. One when you perform it, look through the camera lens. Don't look at the camera, look through the lens. Like you're trying to look at the back of the camera through the lens. I'm like, okay, because the other one is go home, read the lyrics. Don't sing. You can sing. Nobody's worried about your singing, reading the lyrics, open a bottle of wine and just really internalize the story of this song. Okay.

 

2 (18m 37s):

So in that way, so I took those two lessons to heart and I felt like that was the first time, the first time I think the audience at home really felt like I felt that connection with them and vice versa. And I think it was because of those. Cause I mean, ultimately like when you get on TV, you can be a singer and just be a singer or you can be a singer and try to tell a story and try to bring people along in that narrative. And, and yeah, that's been one of the most important lessons I've learned as a performer and still, I still check myself on that. Like it's huge. Yeah.

 

2 (19m 17s):

That was, that was kind of the beginning of that upward trajectory for me.

 

0 (19m 22s):

Yeah. Wow. I mean, I can imagine that being like, cause the studio audience, I'm sure isn't all that massive. Right? I mean, how many people that you think are in there? A couple hundred?

 

2 (19m 32s):

Well, in the beginning, when we were in the small sit on a small stage, I'm 30.

 

0 (19m 39s):

Oh wow. Okay.

 

2 (19m 41s):

She gets to the once we got to the big, once we got the top 12 and they brought us out onto a bigger stage, maybe two 53,

 

0 (19m 50s):

300, I guess it's still, I mean, it's not a, it's not a massive audience, but I mean, the people that you're playing to, I mean, television wise, it's millions upon millions. And honestly it helps not to think of that. I was going to ask like, did you, did you play to like just the 300 people? Or were you like in the back of your mind thinking like if I screwed this up, there's like X million amount of people that are gonna watch it.

 

2 (20m 13s):

Once, once, once I got my, my formula figured out and once we got into the big room, it became a little easier for me having that immediacy in the room and having the energy of a couple hundred people in the room was helpful. But yeah, I was always at least peripherally aware that there were times that people on the other side of the camera. So I tried to play to both try to like, okay. And honestly I would, I would sit down with these songs and figure out where, okay, this part I want to, I want to play this to the room, this part, I want to play it to the folks at home.

 

2 (20m 54s):

I'm testing. I'm hesitant to use the word choreograph, but, but

 

0 (20m 58s):

You know, aside from the choreograph, like kind of have to right. Cause you're playing to two different, two separate groups of people

 

2 (21m 4s):

And, and, and going in with that mindset, when we'd go to like dress rehearsal or camera block was helpful because then it's like, then it becomes this, this co-op exercise between myself and the production, the band, like trying to find those moments. Cause like every good song has those moments. Sure. And that was, I had more fun with that than I thought I would, to be completely honest with you. Like that was a highlight of the weeks for me. It was like going in and like figuring out the right visual to go along with

 

0 (21m 48s):

Yeah. With the song that you're trying to perform. Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting. Cause I feel like, yeah, totally. You totally have to play both, both sides of it because if just, just cause you're a great singer. Like you said, the guy they told you, you, we know you can sing, you just got to be able to really everybody who was there was a great singer,

 

2 (22m 7s):

Fantastic singer. Everybody was there for a reason. Right. It was, it was, it was on each of us to figure out why we were there, how best to accentuate, why we were there. And I felt like, yeah. I mean, again, I felt like all the success stories that had come on that show involved, whoever did well, like tapping into that somehow.

 

0 (22m 38s):

Yeah. Yeah. No, I completely agree with you. And we're like with it too, is like, you can tell, I mean, I don't know if I'm out of turn saying this, but like you like certain seasons, like you can tell like the second person, like they, like they would get their career would blow up bigger than whoever won. Obviously I feel like with your situation, like you, like everyone knew, okay, he's going to be a star, but sometimes it was like the winter didn't quite achieve. That is admitted.

 

4 (23m 9s):

Yeah.

 

2 (23m 9s):

There there's all sorts of different parameters to that. Like I look at somebody like Chris Daughtry who finished fourth.

 

0 (23m 16s):

Yeah. And he had a massive career, but his, his trajectory,

 

2 (23m 20s):

The tree was such that when he got booted off the show, it was such a shock. And I think that energy almost fed into that uptick for him post idol and a lot like kudos to him, he put out the right songs and that's a big part of it too, is coming off the show. Like, you know, that the show is a great platform, but that's all it is.

 

0 (23m 43s):

Right. Cause you're, it's like you're there and now what it's like. Yeah.

 

2 (23m 48s):

Yeah. For sure. It's like, it's like putting a trampoline, like you can't dunk and it's putting a trampoline in front of a basketball goal. Like you can use the trampoline, but, but if you don't get enough height, you're still not gonna be able to dump.

 

0 (23m 59s):

Sure. That's a good point. It's a, it's kind of

 

2 (24m 2s):

What you do with it. And, and yeah. Those that have had success post idle, it really, yeah. Just, I mean, found the right songs and, or the right tours or just been there in the right moments.

 

0 (24m 14s):

like, I mean, it must've been quite, I mean the whole experience, I'm sure it was just such a journey, but being on the show, you're only on the show for the certain amount of time, but yet you, after the show ends, you are like a household name. You're this, you know, you're, you're a thing like, is that weird to kind of shift? Like, you know, you went into the show like, Oh, there may be, I'll get, if I pass this point, that'd be kinda cool. And then now you, you, when you're on the cover of magazines and like people know who you are now, is that kind of a weird thing to adapt to?

 

2 (24m 50s):

Yeah. It still is. I, I I've said this to quite a few people. Like it's, it's like you get wired a certain way. And for me, like I got wired a certain way for 25 years. And then on the fly you have to just completely rewire there's no, I mean, idle idols, the closest thing that I can think of to like fame school, I guess, but that doesn't really prepare you for it because you're in such a fishbowl on that show or at least like at that point, like there was no Twitter. We had my space. Right, right. Like we weren't really allowed to use. And so you just kinda, you were kinda like cut off from the world. And so you're in this fishbowl and then you come out of it with like no expectation on what's on the other side.

 

2 (25m 33s):

And then it just right. What the hell and yet, I mean, I, I struggled with it for a long time. Just this idea, like, okay. So like my, my life is not just my own right now. How do I navigate that? What does that mean? What do I want it to mean? And how do I get to what I want it to mean? And that was a process and you know, I'm, I'm by no means finished with that journey. I'm, I'm, it's, it's a constant push and pull, trying to figure out like, okay, like this is where my line is. Like I'm comfortable on this side of the line.

 

2 (26m 14s):

I don't want to go on the other side of the line. How do I stay on this side? Sure. And I think that line is different for everybody, you know, there's people that dive in headfirst into, into that whole fame monster and, and live there comfortably. Sure. And then there's those that just don't and I I've learned that more often than not. I'm one of the, don'ts

 

0 (26m 39s):

The dance. Yeah. I kinda, cause I feel like with that show though, the first kind of tasted that you would get is like, when you have to go back to the home, your hometown and play, right. Cause now you're, you're just playing to the studio and now you have to go out you're back home. And then now there's all these people like, Oh, Hey,

 

2 (26m 57s):

I have never been more tired really than my home visit. That was such an amazing day. And I, I remember I, so I'm a huge Royals fan. Okay. I grew up,

 

0 (27m 12s):

Well, you're a baseball player. Yeah.

 

2 (27m 14s):

I worked for the Royals for like five years, like running food and the sweets department, like wow, love that team. And I got to go and like throw out the first pitch, which was like stupid pinch me moment. Oh yeah. And then, you know, hang out, watch the game. I did. I sang the seventh inning stretch. And then I remember like the, one of the producers was like, Hey, REO, Speedwagon is in town tonight. And they wanted to know if you want to come up on stage, we'd have to leave right now and go. And I just remember, like I hit a wall like 10 minutes before that I was like, I'm so tired. I mean, God, I want to, I want to so bad.

 

2 (27m 56s):

Cause that's just another like next level feather in the cap.

 

0 (28m 1s):

Totally. My life moment, you know,

 

2 (28m 5s):

I had to say no. And that to me, I, I, I think back on that moment so much just cause it just aid the absurdity of the moment and be just like, that was really the first time I had to, I had to, I had this internal battle between like my wants my desires and my expectations and my physical and mental like

 

0 (28m 31s):

Capability. Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

 

2 (28m 35s):

Stupid.

 

0 (28m 37s):

But you met, you probably made the right choice. I'm thinking like if you were that beat, you're like, dude, I cannot do it. I just,

 

2 (28m 45s):

I mean, I, sometimes I go, should I just done it? Just, just to say like, yeah, I did that. But yeah, like that's, that's, that's the absurdity of that, of that moment. It's really kind of just encapsulated in, in shirt. Just still do like one moment the absurdity of that whole experience

 

0 (29m 4s):

One moment. But then from there, I mean you put out your, your, your self-titled record and the thing goes platinum, which is you are like, are you peeking at like you think at like idol and then it's like, no, I'm going to get back. And I'm sure. Was that your first like, well you're talking earlier, you hadn't really toured other than kind of like the triangle and then you now you're, you know, I had to platinum record. Yeah. I never toured like that. Like that. Tell me about that experience. Is that pretty bizarre? Like going from idol to now they put you on like an idol tour.

 

0 (29m 45s):

Right, right. After that

 

2 (29m 47s):

I did the idol tour for two and a half months. And yeah, that was, that was fun. I enjoyed it. I, I won't speak for everybody else. I hope everybody else enjoyed it. Cause I think it was, it was, we knew that after that I think we were all ready to kind of branch out and do our own thing and figure out what was next for us. But at the same time it was, it was nice to still be there as a group experienced the beginning of this together. So there wasn't so much of like a psychological shock. Sure. And, and yeah, again, just to kind of step out of the fishbowl and see this for what it was a little bit, which at that time was insane.

 

2 (30m 32s):

I re I think I, we sat down with a calendar and counted. I think I had two, maybe three days off that whole summer between writing and touring. And then like, we'd have a show. I remember like we had a show in Florida and then the next show was like a couple days later in Louisville, but I needed to go record. So I flew from Florida to LA and then recorded and then flew and met up the tour again. And just, all these things are just like, Oh man, like you think about it. Like that would be so cool to do. And in the moment you're like, Oh my God, I just want to sleep in. Yeah.

 

0 (31m 11s):

So are you flying back and forth writing and recording the self-titled record?

 

2 (31m 15s):

A lot of that was done. So a lot of the writing was done before that too. So we had like a month, month and a half between the end of idol. Oh, okay. That's why I didn't a lot of the writing then. Got it. Yeah. I picked up sessions like on the road, we had a tour stop in Buffalo and I wrote with Johnny Resnick before the show.

 

0 (31m 35s):

Oh, wow. That's cool.

 

2 (31m 37s):

Yeah. I'm sorry. That was a weird little name drop. I didn't mean to do that, but

 

0 (31m 43s):

I like, I love the Google drop me and Johnny. Yeah. You know, no biggie. Well, okay. So yeah. So then you put out the cell tower record obviously does amazing platinum album do some touring. And then the second record you put out or not second record, but the next album was the loud morning. What was like the milestone from that record?

 

2 (32m 14s):

That record was tough. I'm ultimately so proud of that record, but that one was tough to make. So right in the middle of the tour for the self-titled record, my older brother who had been battling a brain tumor off and on for like 11, 12 years, he passed away. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I appreciate it. And I, I made the choice for me. I think it felt like the right choice at the time, like was to just keep working and keep going. So I think I rescheduled one show and then other than that, it was like kind of business as usual. And didn't really give myself any time to process that.

 

2 (32m 57s):

Cause he was, he was and still is really kind of a big part of my life and then got off the road and immediately went into the next record cycle, like writing and doing stuff and just fighting through it. And so that record just, there's a lot of demons in that record that again, ultimately proud of that record, but like I listened to it and, and I can hear kind of my brain going okay, like get some help through, you know what I mean? Yeah. I, I think, yeah, I, I, the, the energy on that record was a little more of a mixed bag.

 

2 (33m 41s):

Yeah, sure. And then the, the album you put out after that digital vein, tell me about that one. Yeah. Digital vein was a, it started as an exercise that wreck this morning had kind of beaten me up creatively so much that like, I honestly, I wasn't sure what the next thing for me was. I started writing just like, okay, let me see if I can enjoy the writing process again. And this is after like, you know, figuring out therapy. And I had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. And so I was like navigating that and, and yeah. So like, okay, I enjoyed writing that song.

 

2 (34m 21s):

Let's try another, see if I can enjoy that. And before you know, it, like I got a collection of songs, they like feel good. Okay. Let me get into the recording studio. Let me see if I can enjoy the recording process. You know? So just, it was that it was like little steps along the way. And it, that record reignited my love for music really. Cause I think burn out on it at that point. Yeah. So that, that record was, was, you know, it was a much needed lifeboat and obviously toward the record, and I don't want to say we maybe did two and a half, three months of like solid touring on that record.

 

2 (35m 3s):

And then, you know, pick up shows here and there while I started noodling around for the next project, I'm going to notoriously slow worker comes to writing. And I think it's just cause I, I admire those people that can sit down every day and write and feel good about what they did. I'm really bad. Like if an idea doesn't grab me or if I I've got a half finished song downstairs on my rig right now that I'm probably gonna finish I get to a point where I'm just like, this doesn't fit a vibe that I'm looking for right now. Okay know, I've got to come back to them on rare occasions, rare occasions.

 

2 (35m 45s):

And that's usually like a happy accident. Like I'm looking for another session

 

0 (35m 50s):

And they're like, Oh, okay, let's go to that. Yeah.

 

2 (35m 56s):

But yeah. So I, I, I write in waves. I go through like these really dry areas where it's just like, I won't write anything for a few months. And then all of a sudden, like I knock on wood, the fact that I'm pointing it out means it's going to end right now. I'd been on a bit of a, I've been on, I've been riding a bit of a wave lately trying to knock out stuff for a new VP and yeah. But yeah, literally like from, from the RCA record to now, I have constantly just been kind of trying to tune into like what, what style of creative process works best for me? Like how can I put out my best work?

 

2 (36m 36s):

And this seems to work for me. And it also, then it allows me time to recharge the batteries and chase other creative endeavors.

 

0 (36m 44s):

Sure. Yeah. Cause I saw that you were on, you know, did Broadway, which is awesome. And then you also put out another end, a nippy after that one too. CRO mans. Yeah.

 

2 (36m 54s):

Romance was Crohn's is the most fun I've ever had making a record?

 

0 (36m 60s):

Is it really true? Why, why was that?

 

2 (37m 4s):

I don't know, man. The stars aligned it really, it felt like everything that we were doing in the studio made sense. It felt very fluid. It felt very natural. I I've worked digital vein Chrome ants and this new stuff I've been working with. My buddy, Andy Skibbe. He engineered those, he engineered Chrome hands and digital vein and he's producing my new stuff, but he was in that band with me in Oklahoma.

 

0 (37m 36s):

Oh really? Wow. That's really cool

 

2 (37m 39s):

Singer in that band. And I played rhythm guitar and did backup vocals. And because of that, you know, and this is where I, like, I talk about like pulling from those prior experiences and like how crazy it was in the moment to do it. But I'm so glad I did it, Andy and I, as a result of that and continuing to work together over the years have developed this bit of a shorthand. I can talk to him in a way that I can't talk to other people that I'm working with and he gets it and knows that the minute it makes for just such a smooth, fun process. And I feel like that energy shows up on, on the finished product. So

 

0 (38m 15s):

Cool. And then you're working on a new record now and you just put out a new song. Yeah. So you got it. Tell me about it.

 

2 (38m 25s):

Blue was, is my newest single. It was another exercise. That's where it started. I was talking earlier about my anxiety. I watched an interview, there's this series of interviews that they do with these celebrities at the 92nd street, Y in New York. And it's literally just, they bring them out on a stage and there's a, an MC or whatever you call them. And then the audience and they do like an interview and then a Q and a, so bill Hader was on and I, I I'm a fan of bill Hader. So I was like, all right, I'll watch this. And he talked about how, when he was on SNL, he had, he he'd been fighting this anxiety disorder.

 

2 (39m 6s):

And what helped him was bef like before he would go out on set to do a skit, he'd feel his anxiety creeping up. And he would almost like acknowledge it. Like it was another person that, yeah, no, I see you. I gotta go do this. I'll come back. Got it. And I had wanted to try to implement that myself. And so I wrote, I wrote register and blues, just like, all right, I want to just do this as a therapeutic exercise and see how it shakes out. And so I wrote that song as a letter from my anxiety to me. Oh, okay. This is how my anxiety makes me feel. So I'm going to personify my anxiety and let him tell it.

 

2 (39m 49s):

And it was this weird freeing moment, you know, when I finished that song, I was like, Oh, okay. Wow. That's like, I felt lighter somehow. And then it was, there was a bit of cajoling to like, Hey, you should record that. It's a good song. Cause I was, I didn't write it with that intent. You know what I mean? So, but once we got in like again, recording process, so fun, so easy. And so to have that kind of like positive energy on a, on a track where the subject matter is a bit of a big bit of a negative source for me. And then to be able to share that when I think I, my instinct has always been to kind of keep that close to the vest.

 

2 (40m 35s):

That's been really freeing, you know, to be able to talk about my anxiety kinda out in the open.

 

0 (40m 41s):

Yeah. I kind of just get it out. Yeah.

 

2 (40m 43s):

Sunlight being a good disinfectant. You know what I mean? Sure. Yeah. It's been a, it's been a cool process and not one that I expected.

 

0 (40m 55s):

And what have you, was that a song that you had written posts or, I mean, pre COVID or did the quarantine kind of screw you up as far as the record goes?

 

2 (41m 6s):

Yes, I wrote it. So I wrote it back in October of last year and yeah. And then just kind of sat on it for awhile and then, you know, cause again, I, I just not wanting to force the issue. The rest of the songs were all written post post, not post COVID, but I guess during,

 

0 (41m 26s):

During COVID yeah, we're still currently in COVID mid, mid COVID and I, I noticed,

 

2 (41m 39s):

I notice a bit of an undertone with all the songs with that, but it's interesting to me that I feel like Red's turn blue does fit the narrative of the rest of them. Despite the fact it was written well before. Interesting. Yeah.

 

0 (41m 53s):

And you've been able to, have you finished the record or are you still working on it

 

2 (41m 58s):

Writing wise? I'm never done no writing wise. I'm I'm in, I'm in try to beat it mode. Like I've got six songs that I feel are good enough. Cool. But I'm trying to like beat one of them now is where I'm at. And then yeah. We'll probably get into recording sooner rather than later.

 

0 (42m 21s):

Yeah. I was going to ask, so you've probably just been demoing them at home or something.

 

2 (42m 24s):

I got it. I got it. I got a nice little demo rig down in the basement and, and, and right there. And then yeah, more, it's more just about like getting feeling comfortable enough to go outside and go to some other place.

 

0 (42m 37s):

Sure. Totally.

 

2 (42m 40s):

You know, my wife and I are very much erring on the side of, well, we can't get sick if we don't

 

0 (42m 44s):

The house. Yeah. That's where we're at too. We have two kids and it's been like a nightmare, China like her,

 

2 (42m 52s):

The kids, I couldn't fathom the, the stress of going through this with kids, my hats off to you, man.

 

0 (43m 1s):

Thank you. And then now school starting is even more. It just adds this extra layer of now I have to become an online teacher apparently.

 

2 (43m 11s):

Hey, you know what, my little brother's a teacher now. Like if he can do it, you're fine.

 

0 (43m 14s):

Okay. I like it. Well, that's cool. So, well, you know, obviously we're all locked inside. You said you, you haven't left. Have you been doing live streams on like your social media? Like what have you been doing?

 

2 (43m 27s):

I I've, I've gotten pretty staged at happy. I S I started on it not long after this whole thing began. It's not a substitute for the real thing at all, but it's fun. It's, it's a way to connect. It's a way to kind of get the performance it's scratched for me. And, you know, I it's, it's, it's making up for a little bit of lost revenue, which is nice, you know, not worry about paying bills as much, but man, I, I I'm, I'm hoping for that million dollar idea that somehow fixes this industry in short order, I feel so bad for all my peers and contemporaries and, and all that stuff for struggling to figure this out.

 

2 (44m 19s):

It's it's not, it's not fun to see.

 

0 (44m 23s):

Yeah. I mean, aside from the artists, I mean, you have the crews of people that live off just jumping on tour to tour, to tour, to tour some of the people that I'm closest to this day are people

 

2 (44m 32s):

That have been on the have been on cruise on my tour or anything like that. Eh, cause there's no pretense. Like they've got no problem putting me in my place, which is, but yeah, I think past that just, yeah, you think about like, it's always weird to think about in the abstract, but when you think about it in practice, like these are people with families and homes and like everybody else and you hope that there's a way for them to, to navigate it. So yeah,

 

0 (45m 5s):

Hopefully this all yeah. Blow over sooner rather than later.

 

2 (45m 9s):

Well, we got to do now so we can have fun later. Totally.

 

0 (45m 13s):

Okay. Well thank you so much, David, for chatting with me today. I really, really appreciate you. So cool. Yeah. One more question or I have one more question, but I want to jump on the live streaming thing real quick. So you did it, so I'm on your Instagram and you did, it says online world tour, pajama party, where you doing like different like sections of your house or something.

 

2 (45m 34s):

We played a show actually right here in, in onesy pajamas at 10 in the morning, my time. And I'm here to tell you I won't do it again.

 

0 (45m 45s):

That was it.

 

2 (45m 47s):

I did not get into this to play that early.

 

0 (45m 51s):

The ones that you have on my son actually has that. I think that's an a T a target exclusive. Your boys got tastes that's yeah, that's amazing. Well, again, David, thank you so much. I have one more question. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists.

 

2 (46m 11s):

Yeah. I've got two pieces of advice that have served me extremely well

 

0 (46m 17s):

Play

 

2 (46m 18s):

As often as possible, wherever possible in the beginning, especially like don't expect to get rich off of it. Just, just play for the experience as much as you can. The money will come if you're good enough, really. And pass that, allow the word know to be constructive criticism. I have a tattoo on my arm of the number 14, cause that's how many times in a row I got told yes. From first audition on idol to the finale. Wow. The number of nos that I got before that there's not enough room on my arm.

 

2 (46m 57s):

No, no. Became just, just something to get over and something to move past, you know? And I'm thankful to this gig for that. Maybe more than anything else, like, cause I think before I really got into playing shows and doing all that stuff and sending out, you know, press kits to labels and stuff like that and getting told, no, you calluses you a little bit and you learn to like find the constructive criticism and things and become a performer musician, songwriter, singer as a result. So I'm thankful for all those nos. And it's literally because I got told very early in week

 

6 (47m 44s):

 

2 (48m 6s):

Do you hear that delicious sound? No, it's not the freshly fried Patty of the crispy chicken sandwich. Well, actually it is, but it's also the sound of a debt being paid because this golden crisp chicken could be the very first meal. You treat your payments to. Yes. Parental payback is now available in many delicious McDonald's deals.

 

6 (48m 24s):

Like buy one, get one for a dollar every day at McDonald's mix and match a new hot and spicy McChicken with classics like a McDouble McChicken or four piece chicken McNuggets, price and participation may vary.